Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Manny (previously seen crawling after fly balls in Mannywood) has started the season more nimble than ever - enabling him to have his foot in his mouth and his head up his butt. Simultaneously. One interview in, and he's already out the door.

Manny Ramirez is known for saying some curious things. This is his latest pronouncement: The Dodgers star insists his days in LA are numbered. "I know I'm not going to be here next year," Ramirez said Monday. Ramirez's contract expires after this season. Why is he so certain he won't get an extension? "I don't know," he said. "I just know I'm not going to be here."

At 37, Ramirez is heading into his 17th major league season. The former World Series MVP served a 50-game drug suspension last year and, for him, was hardly a force -- .290, 19 home runs, 63 RBIs. Ramirez threw out the possibility that he could retire after 2010. "What I can do is to just wait and at the end of the season I can say to myself if I want to do this, if I want to play," Ramirez said. "That's where I'm at. I think I have to wait until the season ends and see where my family's at and make a choice."

Reporting from Phoenix — With a bat in his hand and a smirk on his face, Manny Ramirez walked across the Dodgers' clubhouse on Tuesday to interrupt a conversation. "Listen," he said as he made a half-hearted attempt to suppress a giggle. "I want you to tell everyone that I felt so good practicing yesterday that I'm going to play five more years."

To Ned Colletti's credit, he spun the story with real panache.

"I'm worried about this season, that's where my focus is," Colletti said. "If that is accurate (that Ramirez won't return to the Dodgers) and he still wants to play after this year, I hope that he's the premier free agent on the market. That would mean he had a great year for the Dodgers."

As much as I'll miss the cheesy wigs, RBIs, sleepy defense, and estrogen jokes, I say...

like a lot of people here, when i heard what he said all i could say was, "meh". manny has a way of saying things we all already know to be true, i.e. non-news, and making them sound somehow controversial. i would add more, but there are "don't hump the honda" mugs, t-shirts and magnets to buy! who knew!?

@fanerman - that was the single best laugh I've had since... well, yesterday. It'd be longer, but I took my wife to see Andy Richter last night at Improv Olympics. But your "Honda" picture still killed me. Bravo - O.